Among video game devices for domestic and commercial uses, there are game devices which are structured of a plurality of game stages and which players successively complete (hereinafter referred to as "clear") the game stages and thereby compete for the scores. At each game stage, the players operate input devices such as joysticks and joypads (trademark) etc., and moves a certain segment (hereinafter referred to as the "character", meaning a segment operated by the player and expressed with outward appearances of human being etc.) which is displayed in the displaying image in the direction operated by the player.
For example, SEGASONIC THE HEDGEHOG (manufactured by SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD.) is made so that the character in the displayed screen will move as it avoids obstacles, and the players compete for the degree of progress of the character, whereby high scores may be obtained.
In each game stage, the obstacles displayed in the display stage attack and interfere with the character operated by the player. If the character receives any attack or interference from the obstacles, the character is damaged, and if damaged a certain number of times, the game will be over leaving that game stage uncompleted. If the character is damaged, the progress of the game is returned to the starting position of the first stage or returned to the starting point of the currently challenging stage as a penalty imposed on the player. Accordingly, so long as the character is set to be returned to the starting position, the player can never proceed to the next stage unless he is substantially proficient in the operation of the game.
Therefore, conventionally, game devices were devised to control the game so as to be returned only mid way even if the character is damaged.
However, if the character's returning positions are set only in the memory, the player may not confirm those returning positions with his own eyes. Moreover, the amusement of the game will be limited if the frequency of the allowed return is unchanged.
Among other conventional game devices were those adopting an idea of specific predetermined points ("continuing points"), that is, by passing the continuing points a character is allowed, to restart from the points even if the character is damaged.
However, even such games were not easy to use for all of the players because it is meaningless if the character is unable to reach the continuing points.
In other words, if a player can not store the progress of the game when the player determines he is unable to overcome the game stage, the player will be obliged to restart from the beginning again and again.
On the other hand, there were games which allowed players to store the progress of the game at any point during the game. Nonetheless, such function, on the contrary, easily lowered the degree of difficulty of the game operation and deprived the amusement of the game itself. For, in the most extreme case, by repeating storage of the game process upon every step forward, the game will proceed little by little even if the player does not have a high operating technique.
As described above, conventional game devices were inconvenient in that the players insufficiently skilled in the operation could not advance the game over a certain degree, or, on the contrary, by excessively lowering the difficulty of the game, the amusement of the game was reduced.
Furthermore, there was a further inconvenience that, by limiting the frequency of the allowed restart, the progress of the game would become rigid and the amusement of the game would be limited.